Game



M. J. ZA HARIS.

GAME.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 15.1919.

1,338,475, Patented Apr. 27, 1920.

INVENTOR MICHAEL J. ZAHARIS BY HIS ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MICHAEL J. ZA HARIS, OF MINNEAIOLIS, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO GEORGE .A. DARNELL, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

GAME. I

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Apr.2'7, 1920- Application filed July 15, 1919. Serial No. 311,102.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, MICHAEL J. ZA HARIs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Games, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to games and the object is to provide a game board and movable buttons thereon of such construction and arrangement that when the game is being playedit will not only furnish amusement to the players but will also teach and instruct them so that they will become more familiar with keys and chords and other such knowledge valuable in music. The game is especially valuable in teaching beginners in music the essential and fundamental characteristics and elements of music that they are required to know.

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a plan view of the board on which the game is played and showing a possible position of the notes or movable buttons during the progress of the game. Fig. 2 merely shows a few of the sharp and flat designating buttons that may be used on the board in playing the game.

The plan of the board consists primarily of a printed portion of the double staff, the upper stall having the treble clef and the lower staff the bass clef. To the right of the clefs, but leaving sufficient room for the placing of sharps and flats, is a vertical column of letters, containing the letters A to G inclusive. Each of said letters is placed in the space or upon the line which it designates. To the right of the column of letters are spaced off several. preferably four, vertical measures, extending across both staffs as shown. 7

Two people play the game; one, X, is pro vided with eight black notes or pieces 3, seven fiat pieces l and seven sharp pieces 5, and his opponent Y is provided with eight red notes 6 and also flat and sharp pieces. It is the object of each player to so move his notes that four of them will be arranged in one measure so that they will form one of the natural chords, and it is a further object for each player to so handle his notes that he will prevent his opponent from first making a chord. V] hen experienced musicians or those very familiar with the game are playing the chords striven for may be in any key in which case the sharps and flats must be used. But for sake of simplifying the explanation of the game it will be assumed that it is to be played in the key of C, which requires neither flats nor sharps.

In starting the game the players place their notes on the board one at the time and in turn. Each player is prevented from forming a chord at this time by his opponent who places a note in the chord before it is filled by the person building the chord. In starting the game in this case the players will first fill the C note spaces in the bass clef (as shown) as this note is the root note for all three of the common chords in the key of C, and will usually leave these notes undisturbed throughout the game. The other notes in the treble clef can be moved, by each player alternatively, either in a vertical or horizontal direction but not diagonally. One move is made when a note is moved, from one measure to another, or from one note position to another note position, i. 0., line to space or space to line. A player will stop his opponent from completing a chord only by getting one of his notes upon one of the chord note positions in the same measure. A note will not interfere with an opponents chord if it is placed merely between the chord notes even if in the same measure. Thus in the second measure (Fig. 1) the black notes form one of the common chords in the key of 0, although a red note is in the measure, and the player X has scored a point. hen one player has scored seven points (a convenient number) he has won the game. Every time a chord is made both players pick up their notes and start playing for another chord until the game is won.

When musicians or experienced players are playing the game, any common chord in any key may be the objective. In this case the game may become very complicated. When a player fills a complete chord he is then required to correctly place the right number of sharps or flats, as the case may be, upon the staff so that the key in question will be correctly designated or his point is lost.

The game has been briefly described. Rules concerning the playing of the game may possibly be modified to some extent but for illustration the above will suffice.

Having now therefore fully described my invention, what I claim to be new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A game comprising a chart having imprinted thereon parallel horizontal lines in representation of a musical staff, a series of parallel vertical bars crossing said horizontal lines at spaced intervals, two sets of movable notes being respectively of different a pearances. V

2. game comprising a chart having imprinted thereon parallel horizontal lines in representation of a musical stafl", clefs arranged upon one end portion thereof, a series of vertical parallel bars crossing said horizontal lines at spaced intervals, a narrow vertical column arranged intermediate of said series of bars and said clefs and having imprinted thereon notes designating letters, two sets of movable notes being respectively of diflerent appearances.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

' MICHAEL J. ZA HARIS. 

